


Pastries

by Roseeater (eki_fuuten)



Series: What Eevees Saw [6]
Category: Pokemon GO, pokemon: and the world will turn to ash - Fandom
Genre: flashlight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 20:36:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eki_fuuten/pseuds/Roseeater
Summary: Crappy days, stress-baking, dirty traitors and what the hell is Spark





	Pastries

**Author's Note:**

  * For [surfacage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/surfacage/gifts).

> (sequel of A Vulpix Named Flashlight)  
(For Surfacage's And The World Will Turn To Ash AU)

Noire's day kept getting more shitty by the hour. It actually started pretty well; the morning team training had been  _ fun _ , Noire enjoyed seeing their squad get less and less crappy. The training was followed by a neverending series of boring executive meetings, half of which Noire would have shirked if not for Amelie's vigilant watch. Those were followed by official one-on-one with Sabrina, consisting mostly of Noire being chewed out for various screw-ups during the past month, including the run-in with Spark at the lab. 

Now, walking through the corridors of the Rocket building complex, Noire felt tired and disgruntled. The truth was, as much as Noire would like to deny it, a day spent entirely on-base tended to bring back the memories of the time at Cipher labs. Noire remembered Blanche's tiny figure, curled up and crying silently after one of the more traumatising experiments, and they stopped abruptly. They had been going back to living quarters but now they really wanted to be out of the Rocket grounds.

Noire left through the nearest gate and sped through the streets still in their official Rocket outfit, the red executive coat billowing after them like a streak of blood. They didn't slow down until they found themselves outside one of their favorite bakeries. The bakery was very good, but it wasn't the best bakery in the neighbourhood. The reason Noire navigated to it were the cream puffs they carried - also not the best ones in the city, but most similar to the ones they remembered from their childhood. The taste made Noire remember the happy expression on Blanche's child face when they first had it.

Noire froze with their hand on the door handle. Through the glass door of the shop they could see the  _ adult  _ face of Blanche looking at the cream puff display. Blanche's expression wasn't happy; it was full of pain and melancholy, very similar to the expression Blanche sometimes made when fighting Noire now. Part of Noire wanted to run there, buy the store's whole stock of cream puffs and shower Blanche with them, just like Blanche said they would when they were children. Another part made them want to grab a cream puff and squish it on Blanche's face just to see what kind of expression Blanche would make.

As if in an answer, Blanche's expression changed to a kind of affectionate annoyance... and yes, sure enough, there was the Valor bitch talking at them. Blanche turned away from the cream puffs and cheerfully followed the Valor leader to another part of the store where cakes were displayed.

Noire felt their throat tighten and bit their lips.

'Are you going in or out' an annoyed male voice sounded above Noire's head. Noire turned around to see a shirt-clad male chest a couple of centimeters from their face.

'Fuck off!' Noire shoved the guy out of their way, using enough force to make sure he would fall over, and stormed away. They reached a small plaza and looked around in confusion; there was nowhere they would really like to go.

Noire sat down at a bench, absent-mindedly took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of their coat, lighted a cigarette and took a drag, then leaned forward slowly exhaling the smoke. They watched wild pidgeys fight over food scraps near a trashcan.

'Just how much  _ do  _ you smoke?' A familiar voice took Noire out of their reverie and Noire realised they were looking straight at a joltreon sniffing three cigarette buds Noire themself threw to the ground. Were they really at their fourth cigarette? They didn't notice…

'Not your goddamn interest, asshole.' Noire started smoking long ago because they knew it would annoy Blanche, although now that they thought about it Blanche probably didn't even know. Sabrina didn't comment on it much, apart from scolding them for smoking at home, and to be honest Noire wasn't sure if the cigarettes could even have any ill-effects on their altered body. 'Anyway I'm not taking any shit from you, Spark, I saw you smoke weed.'

'Well, at least smoking weed makes me  _ happy _ .' Noire raised their head to look at Spark's infuriatingly cheerful face. Yes, Noire still hated the taste of the smoke and their smoking was as much about getting the nicotine fix as making themselves work through the unpleasant feeling in their lungs, but there was no way in hell the fucker could actually _ know  _ that.

'The fuck do you want?'

'Tell me, Noire, what is it with you guys and cream puffs? Blanche always eyes the things suspiciously but never buys them, even though I know they love them.'

Noire felt themselves stiffen.

'Why are you asking me, dickweed? Ask Blanche.'

'I did. They never answered. I never understood why until I saw you at the bakery today.'

'What the  _ fuck _ ?' Noire threw the cigarette at Sparks face. 'Did you follow me here, asshole?'

'That was over twenty minutes ago, Noire,' Spark said reproachfully, rubbing his cheek where the cigarette left a pinkish burn mark. 'I was shopping. I made Donglord find you now. Did you think I was watching you from somewhere all this time?'

Noire opened their mouth to speak, then closed it. There was something in Spark's expression that didn't make this possibility feel entirely out of the question. Yet... Spark's jolteon did track down Noire by smell before and, besides, Spark was loaded with paper shopping bags, including one from the bakery Noire failed to visit earlier.

'You found me to ask about  _ cream puffs _ ?'

'That too. Did you like the cream puffs I gave you the other day?'

Noire stood up to face Spark. It was a mistake; Spark was still so much taller and they couldn't help but glare up.

'Why do you even assume I  _ like  _ cream puffs? I'm not Blanche.'

'The store clerk told me you're a regular at that bakery.' Spark put his hand into the bag with the bakery logo and took out a paper-wrapped bundle. 'Apparently this is what you usually get,' he deposited the bundle into Noire's subconsciously raised hands. Noire looked from the bundle to Spark.

'I was planning to get something else today,' they said defiantly.

'Well, tough luck because that's what you're getting tonight. I still need to go and make Go wrap this Birthday present for Willow before the party, and I'm pretty sure Candela and Blanche are still at the bakery picking the cake. Though, to be honest, I think Candela chose the cake long ago and is now only observing Blanche's reaction to see what kind of cake she can surprise them with later.'

Paper crumpled under Noire's hands. So Valor bitch was feeding Blanche pastries now? Well, there was no way she'd beat Noire's special white chocolate and raspberry muffins; the bakery didn't carry anything similar.

'Well you can take it back for all I care and shove it up your…'

'So, can you take this to Amelie?' Spark pushed one of the paper shopping bags at Noire, completely ignoring the bundle they were pressing against his chest. 'I got something for Flashlight. There are some poffins for your Eevee too: half-dry half-spicy if I recall correctly.'

Noire stared into Spark's smiling face, not able to decide whether they were feeling touched or ambushed. Spark took the pastry bundle out of their hands, put it into the bag and shoved the bag into Noire's hands.

'Look, I really need to run. Lay off the cigs a bit, though.'

'Spark, you're not my mother!'

'Yeah, yeah,' Spark patted Noire's head and turned around before they managed to bite his hand. 'See you around!'

\---

Somehow Noire felt more perturbed coming back to the base than when they had left Rocket grounds. They wanted nothing more than to go to their apartment, burrow in eevee-patterned blankets and watch korean soap operas while eating the cream puffs - which yes, they still really wanted, despite what they told Spark. The problem was they had left their Eevee at Amelie's to play with Flashlight. Noire wasn't sure if they could get through the night without their fluffy companion, so they had to stop at Amelie's apartment first.

Without bothering to ring the doorbell Noire opened the door to the apartment with the key card they had stolen some time before. Judging by the sound Amelie was taking a shower. Noire's Eevee was on the couch, playing with Amelie's beautiful ninetales, Ember. It was a bit odd, as the Eevee was always slightly wary of the bigger pokemon and much preferred Flashlight the vulpix as a companion, but Noire wasn't going to dwell on that after such a vaguely-shitty day.

'Flashlight, where are you! I have something for you from the asshole!'

The ninetales jumped from the couch and approached Noire. Noire absent-mindedly petted her on the head.

'No, not you, I'm calling Flash…' they realised they had to bend a little to pet the pokemon. They didn't have to bend to pet Ember. This ninetales was stunningly beautiful and healthy and  _ it wasn't Ember _ .

Noire kneeled and looked the into the pokemon's eyes.

This day couldn't get any more shitty.

\---

'AAAAMELLIIIEEEEE!'

Amelie sighed and wrapped herself in a towel. She was mentally prepared for this but she hoped she would be dressed by the time Noire appeared and saw Flashlight. Yes, she did shut the bathroom door before getting under the shower, as Flashlight liked to get under the shower with her and she didn't want to bother with such a huge pile of wet fur right now. She also  _ locked  _ the bathroom door, as Noire had sometimes very flimsy grasp on privacy. Still, she had no illusions a mere lock was enough to stop an agitated Noire.

To prove that the bathroom door crashed open. Well, Amelie had already put in a request for a new lock at requisitions.

'Amelie, you told me Flashlight can't evolve!'

Amelie stoically took a smaller towel from the rack and started drying her hair with it.

'No, I told you that all the specialists I've consulted agreed that Flashlight most probably can't evolve. Apparently they were wrong.'

'Why didn't you tell me he evolved!'

Amelie sighed again. She knew Noire would take this personally - they considered Flashlight a comrade of their not-evolving Eevee.

'Noire, you were at a meeting with boss Sabrina; it's not like I could  _ call  _ you.'

Noire scowled at Amelie, then at Flashlight, who came to the bathroom door and brushed Noire's legs with his exquisite tails. Flashlight was definitely undersized for a ninetales but he was also the most gorgeous ninetales Amelie had ever seen and she couldn't help but feel proud.

'Isn't he beautiful?'

Noire crouched and let their fingers slip through the lustrous fur.

'Yeah… beautiful fucking  _ traitor _ !' they got up, stormed out of the bathroom and out of the apartment, slamming the door.

Amelie slowly finished drying her hair with a towel, exchanged the bath towel for a bathrobe and went to her living room. Noire's eevee was still there and so was an unfamiliar shopping bag near the coffee table. Amelie sat down on the sofa and started stroking Flashlight who climbed on the couch with her. She would have to teach Flashlight to be more careful now that he was bigger, but right now she simply enjoyed the feeling of soft fur under her fingers.

'They will come back for you soon,'' Amelie said to poor Eevee, who was pawing at the shut door and whimpering slightly. Eevee understood, came up to Amelie, jumped on the sofa and curled next to her hip. Amelie enjoyed the moment of peace and silence stroking two fluffy pokemon at her sides.

Noire came back a whole three minutes later than Amelie anticipated, smelling faintly of cigarettes and carrying a small bag from the 24h store. They stand over Amelie and looked at Flashlight looking surly.

'He still looks fucking cute. I don't think ninetales are even  _ supposed  _ to look cute.' Well, this was probably as close as Noire could get to an apology right now.

'Judging by what he's shown at today's training right after evolving he's an example of "small and deadly".' Just like Noire and, Amelie had to admit, herself. 'What happened, did you get scolded by executive Sabrina that much?'

The perplexed look on Noire's face suggested that they had already forgotten the meeting.

'No I. Uh. Met Spark.'

Amelie waited for Noire to continue. Noire meeting Spark usually ended with Noire getting injured or ridiculously cheerful or both, so this definitely couldn't account for the surly annoyance they were radiating now.

'Right, he told me to give you something,' Noire grabbed the paper bag from the floor and started taking out the contents - a slightly crushed parcel with pastry, a bag of small spicy and dry poffins and, finally, a bigger bag of poffins, which they handed to Amelie. 'For Flashlight.'

While Noire packed the rest of the items back into the paper bag Amelie eyed the bag in her hand. Those weren't small poffins for small pokemon like vulpix; it was a bag of special high-nutrition big poffins you gave to a pokemon that had just evolved into something bigger and needed to adjust to the change. Of course, it was a common knowledge that Instinct leader was a scatterbrained airhead and yes, it was totally possible to believe he'd make a silly mistake like picking up the wrong food.

Unless you knew how much he cared about pokemon.

Amelie carefully tore the bag open with her fingers, took out a poffin and fed it to Flashlight, who bit into it with satisfaction.

'Amelie, you still have that insider contact in Mystic headquarters?'

Noire was thoughtfully looking at the grocery bag in their hand.

'Boss, you  _ officially  _ know that we do not have any insider contacts in Mystic.'

'Amelieeee.' 

'Mystic members are very loyal people; they wouldn't do anything that could harm their team, and especially their leader.'

'Aaamelieeeee…'

The worst thing about Noire making a beaten puppy face was that it kind of worked.

'OK, I will try to get whatever you want to Blanche - _ as long as no one in Rocket learns about it  _ \- but honestly, you could just ask Spark.'

Noire bristled.

'I'm not asking fucking Spark and I don't want  _ anyone  _ to know it's from me. Especially him.'

Two hours later Amelie had a wonderfully fragrant batch of muffins on her kitchen counter - part of them neatly wrapped to be send to Blanche - and a human weapon asleep on her couch. Noire had appeared on her doorstep an hour after leaving her apartment, with a smear of cream on their cheek, Eevee at their side and carrying a trayfull of freshly-baked muffins. After wrapping the muffins for Blanche they lay down on Amelies couch, cuddled Flashlight, apparently all offence at evolving forgotten, and wept until they fell asleep.

Amelie was tipsy, lying on her bed and texting with Annie, who gave her updates on the more hilarious moments of Willow's Birthday party and agreed to meet her morning-ish to pick up the muffins.

'Parties exhaust Blanche so they won't be up before noon anyway.'

Amelie took a sip from her glass and pondered how much more low-maintenance Blanche must be than their sibling. Sad as it was to see Noire as down as tonight it was quite a welcome change from the high-energy existence they were at any given time. Amelie was putting her phone away on the bedside table when it buzzed again. Unexpectedly, it was a message from Go.

'Spark says, I quote "I forgot, tell Amelie to send me his picture when it happens." Not sure what he means but please don't send me anything NSFW.'

Amelie stared at the message for a moment, got up and went to the living room. She turned the light on and, after confirming that Noire was still asleep, came closer to the couch and took a snapshot of sleeping Flashlight. After a moment of consideration she took half a step back and took another shot, this time making sure that Noire was well visible on the photo, and send the latter photo to Go with a comment 'Forward him this.'

A couple of minutes later Amelie got a message from Annie.

'Go is telling me it's your fault. Don't know what you did but it's hilarious.'

The message was followed by a photo of apparently drunk Spark happy crying, hugging and leaning on Go, and Go having his usual look of wanting to be somewhere else.

Amelie's thoughts went back to the bag of special poffins. She wasn't prepared for Flashlight's evolution. N _ o one _ ever expected Flashlight to evolve after his problematic childhood.

Amelie's phone buzzed again.

'Spark says, I quote "He's wonderful, I need to see him IRL. Also this photo is beautiful, thank you so much." He said more but I'm not drunk enough to quote THAT.'

No one ever expected Flashlight to evolve, apart from the man who's seen him for five minutes a fortnight ago and predicted when it would happen to a day.

\---

Amelie woke up the next morning to the sound of Noire making coffee in her own kitchen. She looked at the alarm clock and, upon confirming it was still early, stretched slowly. Her eye fell on her phone, the LED light blinking for a message. She checked it to find a message she must have send when drunk and half-asleep last night and Go's reply to it.

'Spark is scary, isn't he?'

'You have NO IDEA.'

  
  


***

  
  


Blanche got out of bed, blearily made their way to the kitchen to set up water for tea and found their kitchen full of half-naked Spark. It seemed so unfair that Blanche, who hadn't drunk any alcohol, felt pretty hungover after the party while Spark, who had been so drunk Go decided it's too much bother to try to get him anywhere and simply dumped him on Blanche's couch, looked fresh and bright like the morning sun.

'Want some green tea?' Spark passed a blue Mystic mug full of fresh warm green tea to Blanche, who was still so sleepy they subconsciously took it without questioning. 'Or a fresh muffin? They're great!'

Now,  _ this  _ was weird. Blanche looked with confusion at the half-eaten parcel.

'Why do I have fresh muffins?'

'Annie brought some earlier but you were asleep. They're great; they have raspberries and something I can't identify in them.'

Blanche carefully took one muffin, sniffed it and took a bite.

'It's white chocolate. I remember this taste; when we were kids Noire…' Blanche eyed the muffin suspiciously; it couldn't be, could it? When they started living with Sabrina Noire happily jumped at the opportunity to use the oven. The first attempt at cream puffs was a disaster but it wasn't long before Noire got the hang of baking enough to be able to experiment with recipes. The light and delightful white chocolate and raspberry muffins were on the list of favorites of them both.

Blanche caught a movement on the edge of their vision.

'Spark, did you just… take a photo of me eating a muffin?'

'Yup, it goes straight to my "cute" folder.'

'What is cute about a muffin?'

Spark grinned at them.

'Why do you assume it's the muffin that is cute?'

Blanche felt their cheeks burn and turned away so Spark wouldn't see them blush.

'Don't you have somewhere to be?'

'Oh, I do,' Spark leaned on the table, still messing with his phone. 'But not until Go realises I'm still where he left me. I wanted to fix you something for breakfast but you don't appear to have any pots or pans.'

Blanche rubbed their temples; it was much too early in the noon and they had too much of a headache to be able to deal with the sunshine nightmare of Spark.

'Candela confiscated them all after I made that curry.' 

'Ah, makes sense. So I thought, how about I take you out to brunch? My treat?'

Blanche turned around and looked suspiciously at Spark's honest, cheerful expression.

'That is really going to help Go find you.'

'Oh, he always does. Eventually.' Spark's wide smile didn't fade. He didn't even blink.

Blanche took a sip of the tea, then a bite of the muffin, their stare not leaving Spark’s smiling face.

'OK,' they yielded. 'Just give me five… ten minutes.'

They really needed an aspirin and a shower.

  
  


Spark waited for Blanche in the kitchen, shamelessly eating another muffin. He ignored the eight message from Go, reminding him that there's a pile of paperwork due yesterday on his desk, and kept looking at the recent photos in his folder. Half-asleep Blanche was dazed enough not to realise he didn't just snap a photo - he managed to get a whole dozen. They were so cute he was finding it hard to decide which photo should he make his lock screen.

After a couple of minutes he settled for the one where Blanche looked at a muffin with a mix of melancholy and fondness. He would have loved to share this photo with the world but even he could tell this was definitely too much of a private situation to post on social media.

Candela was sure to appreciate it though; he send it in a message, along with an invitation to the brunch.

Spark kept staring at the photo and then remembered what Blanche said just before he took it. It was a longshot but…

He send it to one other person.

\---

Amelie looked at Noire sprawled in one of the seats of a Team Rocket van. They were riding to a possibly difficult mission Amelie felt pretty apprehensive about and Noire's spirits were so down they'd have probably long oozed to the floor if not for the seatbelt Amelie made them fasten. It was pretty unusual, since they were about to attack Team Flare and ever since their first mission together Noire was always pretty excited to beat down Flare. Since Noire was the main offensive force in the squad and Flare were terrified of them Noire's lack of motivation was definitely disquieting. It spelled trouble and overtime with lots of paperwork.

'Boss, we arrive in five minutes. Could you try to be a little more… intimidating?'

'My very existence is intimidating, Amelie. I see no need to…' Noire's phone buzzed; they took it out and scowled at the screen.

'What the hell does Spark want now...' Noire's face went from annoyance to disbelief; they sat up in the seat and broke into a gentle warm melancholic smile Amelie had never seen on Noire's face in a situation not involving a fluffy pokemon.

'Boss, ETA one minute' said the driver from the front of the car.

Noire jumped up in their seat, their eyes sparking.

'OK guys' they sang with a great enthusiasm. 'Let's wreck up Flare!'


End file.
